Carmichael, CA (MPG) - Service contracts for managing two of the most critical pieces of the Carmichael Improvement District (CID) have been secured, clearing the way for implementation of security and streetscape maintenance for the 410-acre Fair Oaks Boulevard Business Improvement corridor.

CID board members on July 28 unanimously approved and awarded contracts to Matt Carroll, owner of Sacramento-based Paladin Private Security and Hilary Gould, owner of Fair Oaks-based Gould Electric and PBID Maintenance to provide armed security patrol and street maintenance services respectively to the roughly 437 commercial businesses located within the CID’s 2.5 mile boundary lines, which encompasses nearly 12 miles of frontage area. Services were set to begin Aug. 1, kicking off the “Clean and Safe” initiative.

CID President, Gary Hursh, whose law practice sits within the improvement district, said the two companies offered extensive experience providing their services to other area Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) within the county and city of Sacramento proper. They came highly recommended by other BID board members and, in the case of Paladin, came highly recommended by the Sacramento County Sherriff and district attorney’s office.

“We relied very heavy on the feedback and comments from other area BIDs in making our selections,” Hursh said adding that, on Aug. 1, he and Gould toured the entire district together, identifying the hot spots where blight, graffiti and illegal dumping activity, among other issues, have been plaguing either the entryways and or parking lots and streetscapes along the CID corridor for years. “Our work has already begun,” he said.

Paladin is being paid $12,416 a month to provide armed patrol services to the area, while street maintenance services from Gould will cost the CID $4,000 a month, Hursh said, for an annual combined budget of $196,992, well over the initially projected half of the CID’s budget of $301,838 allocated for safe and clean streets. The funds are collected via assessments on commercial property owners with assets in the service area.

Matt Carroll of Paladin, founded 15 years ago by two retired police officers, maintains service contracts for 11 other area improvement districts, including the Watt Avenue PBID, the Fulton Avenue Association, and PBIDs for Stockton Boulevard and Oak Park.  The company has roughly 170 employees with between 60 and 65 patrol cars on the streets each day, Carroll said, adding that he expects three to four officers will be serving the Carmichael district.  

Paladin’s first order of business is to obtain signed “notice of agency” forms from CID members, which give Paladin the authority to issue trespassing citations on the owners’ behalf and the teeth to oversee other legal enforcement issues.  Without those signatures, only the business owner can issue the citations, unless prior approval has been given over to local law enforcement, in this case, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s department.  

Carroll estimated that it will take roughly six to eight weeks for the word to spread that the CID corridor is supported by an active security patrol service with the teeth to shut down offenders with chronic histories of trespassing, setting up homeless encampments, engaging in drug and alcohol use and other illegal activities on commercial property and in some cases private residences.

 “We have to get as many CID members as we can to sign the notices so that we can immediately begin to build up our engagement and make an impact,” Carroll said.  He added that he is aware and has plenty of experience with dealing with improvement district members who do not want his company’s services and, in some cases, didn’t approve their area improvement district formations and don’t like having to pay extra to be included in it.

“There will be a lot of PR work for us ahead,” said Carroll. “We have to do a lot of engagement with the Carmichael (CID) members to let them know who we are, what we can do for them and how they play a role in helping us make the area safer.”

Carroll said what sets his company apart is its experience grass roots projects like Improvement Districts, bolstered by advanced technology and proactive engagement in the community, as well as direct partnerships with law enforcement and street maintenance services.

“We are not an armed guard company with high turn-over rates, posting guard outside the doors of the grocery store,” said Carroll. “We made a decision more than five years ago to focus on these long-term contracts for grass-roots community projects, offering an effective, mobile and dynamic team of highly trained officers.”

For Gould, a team of area street contracted maintenance employees with his company will begin targeting the most concerning trouble spots and plotting out daily clean sweep strategies to address blight, collect and return abandoned shopping carts, provide graffiti removal services and weed abatement, among other things.  Gould also sighted his company’s single focus on PBIDs as testament to his company’s ability to deliver.

 “We have seven other PBIDS, including the Fulton Avenue PBID and the Stockton Boulevard Partnership,” said Gould, who started his company 10 years ago.  “This is all we do, working with community partnerships. And we are so fortunate to be able to work with the Carmichael District. We have half the streetscape beautification project completed, which is fantastic. Now our job will be to go in and start working to make the streets cleaner because cleaner means safer, and safe streets are good for business and good for the entire community.”

Gould and Carroll said they are already working in tandem in other area improvement districts and will continue to do so in Carmichael.

“We have each other’s cell phone numbers and we are ready to work should-to-shoulder,” said Gould. “That may mean that we might get a call from Paladin about a need for blight abatement at a homeless encampment they’ve cleared out, or we might call them and say we need them to come in first to address a situation with individuals before we can take care of the cleanup. Either way, our job is to make every business owner in the area happy they are a member of their improvement district.”

The PBID for Fair Oaks Boulevard, or the CID, was approved by just under 70 percent of local property owners in the fall of 2016.  The renewable, five-year agreement with the county may be expanded to include a wider tax base and coverage area over the next five years.  

Sacramento Region, CA (MPG) - The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) “Fishing in the City” Program, in partnership with the County of Sacramento, are sponsoring an introductory fishing clinic on Saturday, September 2, 2017 at Mather Regional Park in Rancho Cordova.   The County of Sacramento is waiving the $5 parking fee prior to 1:00 pm. 

The CDFW provides free equipment loan plus tackle and bait, following a 30 minute clinic.  The clinic is scheduled at 8:15 with equipment loan from 9 a.m. to noon.  As this day is CDFW’s statewide free fishing day, anglers are not required to possess a fishing license; however, all fishing regulations are otherwise still in effect.

Mather Lake will be stocked just prior to this date with catfish. For other information, call (916) 358-1644. The phone is staffed only on Thursdays.

Five National Champions Bring Gold, Silver and Bronze to Sacramento TKD Glory

Sacramento Region, CA (MPG) - They are outstanding young students in school and their local Taekwondo training ‘dojang’ or gym. In mat competitions with Black Belts from across the USA Sacramento’s Phillip El Chemali was triumphant in winning the Gold Medal at the USAT Nationals in Detroit, MI this July. The win places him on the United States Association of Taekwondo National Team for a second consecutive year!

Elk Grove’s Cassie Berger also won Gold in the USAT Women’s Division, as this CA State Champion won another top honor in the Korean-based martial art. Women’s Bronze came home with Black Belt student Maria Lopez from the world’s largest TKD tournament held in Detroit, MI.  Less than one week later, at the Amateur Athletic Association TKD National competition in Broward Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Maria Lopez fought again, again winning the AAU Bronze Medal this July.  

At this same Florida tournament event Robinson’s Taekwondo Black Belt student Lorenzo Ortega battled thru top national TKD fighters to win the AAU Gold Medal. The Women’s Silver Medal came back to Northern California as North Highland’s Natalie Velasquez stepped up to the podium as winner.

Rarely in history has one American city claimed so many top TKD medals and five US National Champions in its ranks.

Founded in 1975 in Sacramento, Robinson’s Taekwondo has locations throughout the region training athletes of all ages in the world’s most taught martial art – Taekwondo! To find out more visit www.robinsonstkd.com

Sacramento Region, CA (MPG) – It is time to get your tickets for the big show! The California Capital Airshow (CCA) will take to the skies on September 9 and 10 at Mather Airport, and tickets are now available.

“The California Capital Airshow is a full-sensory experience,” said Darcy Brewer, executive director of the California Capital Airshow. “We’re excited to bring the Sacramento region two full days of non-stop entertainment and unparalleled access to the world of aeronautics and aviation.”

The California Capital Airshow illuminates a century of American aviation and ingenuity with miles of aircraft, from the spine-tingling civilian and military jet performances including the Patriots Jet team, U.S. Navy F-18 tactical demonstration, U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight starring the A-10 Thunderbolt II, world-class aerobatics, barnstorming, warbirds, and more.

In preparation for this massive family-friendly festival, the Airshow has launched a new website, CaliforniaCapitalAirshow.com,  to provide attendees a preview of what to expect both in the air and on the ground.

 “Exploring exciting displays and interactive exhibits as well as pilot meet-and-greets are a great way to start the day,” Brewer explained. “Attendees will want to be on site and ready for the action before noon, when in-air demonstrations and fly-bys begin or all things shiny, fast and loud take to the skies.”

New for 2017 is the National Aviation Heritage Invitational (NAHI) competition, updated premium venue chalets, a Kid's Stage, and so much more than just what's roaring across the skies.

The Airshow is presented by Sacramento County in partnership with the City of Rancho Cordova. The Airshow runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day

Airshow Insiders will have first dibs on deeply discounted tickets, up to 50 percent off. Anyone can sign up to become an Airshow Insider. Just enter your name and email address on the homepage of CaliforniaCaptitalAirshow.com and receive a link to purchase tickets before the public!

Tickets will be available for all fans on August 1 at noon online or Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce. Prices will increase incrementally until the event on Sept. 9 and 10. Military discounts are also available at the ITT offices at Travis and Beale Air Force Bases.

Established in 2004, the annual California Capital Airshow uses the power and magic of flight to entertain and amaze tens of thousands of attendees every September at historic Mather Airport for one of the largest and most prestigious demonstrations of a century of military and civilian aircraft on display and in the sky. Year round, the California Capital Airshow 501c3 is dedicated to inspiring a life-long passion for STEM learning and innovation, with a variety of youth events, presentations and scholarships that help drive the future of aeronautics and encourage young people to reach for the stars. For more information please visit CaliforniaCapitalAirshow.com

Source: CCA Media

Sacramento, CA (MPG) - Seven decades have passed since Unity Sacramento church incorporated, officially extending the word of Unity Founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore’s “New Thought” approach to Christianity, first from within the modest Crest Theatre in Sacramento’s downtown corridor, followed by a move to a converted bowling alley on L Street 20 years later, then, in 1991, from its current home, the site of a former grocery store on Folsom Road in Sacramento’s eastside.

In celebration of 70 years of service, Reverend Kevin Kitrell Ross commonly known as "Rev. Kev,” and his leadership “Dream Team,” comprised of nearly a dozen trained Unity teachers and support staff, which includes Ross’s wife, Anita, are ramping up their efforts to achieve what is arguably any spiritual congregation’s most pressing goal: expanding membership by primarily attracting and retaining younger congregants, bringing them into the fold on the promise of spiritual inclusivity, number one, but also one of hope and peace for all those suffering or seeking to understand whatever social ills may ail them.

“I want Unity to incorporate the practical tools of the fellowship that I was taught, that is no doubt a part of our primary purpose,” says Ross.  “But what has been missing here is how we can do a better job of applying those tools to heal the divides and address those on the fringes of our communities.”

Call it progressive. Call it new age. Call it whatever you like, which is precisely the point:  Unity’s New Thought-Ageless Wisdom ministerial approach offers a sacred space for non-denominational worship, where Biblical teachings are interwoven with the beliefs of spiritual leaders from Mahatma Gandhi and the Buddha, to Mohammad and Krishna.  There is plenty of room for just about anyone in this house of worship, which operates as a spiritual and metaphysical melting pot of prayer, cultural nourishment, enlightenment, spiritual education, healing and community outreach.

“We are a lot of things to a lot of different people,” says Ross, whose office feels more like a day spa than a minister’s private space.  A water feature trickles almost silently down the back wall behind his desk, the base of which is a massive tree stump, salvaged from a fire. Its top, a finely polished burl slab.  No crosses in the traditional sense here, but there is a near-eight-foot long wooden staff propped up in the corner, as well as sculptures and paintings and other religious iconography from Asia and Africa, among other places, hanging on the walls.  And the soft, purple recessed lighting is enough to send anyone into a quiet state without much prompting.

“I need a sanctuary from the sanctuary sometimes,” Ross says. “It gets to be heavy out there as the day unfolds and being in a quiet space at times to think and contemplate is very important.”

Ross, 43, is sporting a pair of turquoise running shoes, button-down shirt and a contemporary navy jacket, looking more like a hip-hop artist than a minister overseeing a flock of some 600 congregants.  A native of Chicago’s south side, Ross was chosen from a pool of several candidates to lead Unity Sacramento in 2010.  Prior to that, he served as senior minister at Unity Kansas City, the ministry’s flagship church and teaching center.  The Morehouse College graduate, highly influenced by the words and teachings of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said he saw a lot of things missing at Unity Sacramento upon arrival and he set out to see some changes put into place right away, beginning first with food.

“One of the things I noticed here is that this area really is a food desert,” says Ross.  “People who want fresh vegetables or fruits and not fast food, which is on every corner it seems, have to drive miles just to get it. So we started a Farmers’ Market and it has just exploded.”

More directly aimed at attracting younger members, his team launched the “Dream Center,” where youth perhaps at risk for otherwise getting into gangs or simply just needing a place to express themselves and be with their peers, can come and hang out, play pool, talk with a pastor, paint, draw, bang on musical instruments or simply just enjoy a safe space.  

“It’s very important for young people to have a safe place to express their creativity and enrich themselves,” said Ross. “Being in the presence of mentors is also critical.”

Unity now also houses a Visions and Education center, offering homeschooled students an extended learning support resource for tutoring and test preparation, as well as an onsite charter school created through a community partnership that can take in 50 students at any given time.  Blessings in a Backpack also now occupies space within Unity Sacramento’s confines, where it prepares meals for delivery to kids at local schools, clandestinely stuffed into backpacks every Friday to ensure kids in need have access to food for the weekend.

“Blessings in a Backpack puts food into the kids’ backpacks so that, on the weekends, when they don’t have access to the food from the free or reduced-cost programs they are enrolled in, they can be sure to have something to eat,” said Ross.

Sunday services in the traditional senses are offered at 9 a.m., and include a traditional approach with classic hymns and quiet, reflective sermons.  Then, at 11 a.m., Ross kicks it up a notch with a high-energy service, featuring contemporary readings, speakers and infectious live music. Unity now offers guided meditation classes by trained Unity teachers, a rotating “Power Hour” sermon series during the week, featuring guest ministers and speakers.

“We want to make all aspects of worship here as accessible as possible,” Ross said. “It’s about inclusiveness.”

In short, Unity Sacramento has attempted to hold to its roots but get with the times, as many years and ways of delivering the message have come and gone since the Unity movement was founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in Kansas City in 1889.  Much has changed since Unity Sacramento was incubated as Christ Unity Church in in 1920, where it served as a teaching center under the guidance of Naomi Anderson before incorporating as Unity Sacramento on May 16, 1947. 

John Hinkle held the ministerial reigns and ran Unity from inside Sacramento’s Crest Theater.  In 1966, Dorothy and Phillip Pierson assumed leadership, purchasing the first permanent home for Unity: an old bowling alley at 1415 L Street, and continued to serve as senior ministers for the next thirty-six years before retiring in 2002. 

Nominated as one of the top five mental health friendly churches in the community, Ross has put sound resources and energy into ensuring services for those suffering from mental illness, ramped up significantly when a congregant suffering from depression, set herself on fire.

“That incident was heartbreaking for us,” Ross says.  “We are on the front lines, because most people who are suffering some form of a mental issue will come to see a minister first. So we now have prayer chaplains, congregants and members of our staff who have been trained to work with individuals suffering from mental health issues.  We want to break the stigma of mental illness.”

“We have become visible and very active in the interfaith community,” Ross said. “We want to build those bridges and extend our ideologies of inclusivity and love. We want to reflect the community where we are and that means reaching out to those who live on the edges of society because of their faith, because of their color, and bring them in.”

Ross helped institute Unity’s Law Enforcement Accountability Directive or Project LEAD, to help bridge gaps and slowing begin to demolish the walls that have long-divided local law enforcement and minorities.

“Project LEAD has been very instrumental in helping to create more of a transparent process with local law enforcement,” Ross said. “Unity is like cream in your coffee. We want everyone to know that we are not just a church.  We are also the most loving place on earth.”